Former Miner Jorgensen wins national title at SOU: Part of the SOU distance medley relay squad

Saturday

Mar 16, 2013 at 11:08 AMMar 16, 2013 at 11:12 AM

Bill Choy

ASHLAND, ORE., — Former Yreka High runner Kevin Jorgensen recently earned a national title at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore.On March 2, Jorgensen, a sophomore, was part of the top-ranked distance medley relay squad that won the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship crown in Geneva, Ohio. The squad set a new NAIA record as well. The old record of 9:50.88 was set by Azusa Pacific at the 2009 championship meet. SOU finished the race with a time of 9:48.16, as the Raiders defeated second-place Carroll by nearly 10 seconds.In his time at Yreka High, Jorgensen broke the Yreka High 800 meter relay record at state in Clovis, Calif., in 2010. The next day he was back in Yreka for graduation. He also was an elite runner on the Miners cross country squad.Below, Kevin talks about the relay team winning the title and competing at SOU. Kevin, can you tell me what it means to be part of a relay team that won a national title and set a record as well.To be honest, at first it felt like winning any other track race but as we made out trip back to Ashland it slowly hit me that the four of us had just done something that we could look back on and be proud of.When you found out you had won how did you and your teammates react?Once Eric Avila had crossed the finish line and the announcer said that we beat the national record. The three of us (Jonz Olander, Zach Boyd-Helm, and myself) were ecstatic. Group hugs and high fives between us three ensued.What was the experience like taking part in nationals in Ohio?This was my first year competing in Indoor Track and I didn't know what to expect. I had heard both good and bad things from my teammates about running inside. From being able to run faster from the lack of wind and smaller track to getting horrible cases of "Dry lung" from the lack of moisture in the gym.You originally started your college career at OIT. How did you end up transferring to SOU?Originally, I ran for OIT. While I was there I was majoring in MIT (Medical Imaging Technology) and quickly found that it wasn't the right path for me. I struggled with my grades and ended up returning home to Yreka and attended COS the next school year. While at COS I decided to take a year off running competitively and focus on my studies. Although I wasn't running I still found myself hanging out with athletes who were on the track team. I heard that (Grier) Gatlin had received the job as head coach at SOU and was coming down to Weed for a recruiting trip. I attended the meeting and talked to coach Grier about my options at SOU and the rest of my running carrer.How has the experience been at SOU and with the track and field team?Anyone who has ever been part of a cross country team will tell you that it's like one big family. When I showed up for pre-season cross camp that's exactly what I ran into. I assume it takes a lot of teamwork to run relays. Can you tell me a bit on how you work with your fellow relay members to ensure you all perform to the best of your abilities on the track? Team work is no doubt the biggest part of relays. To me, it doesn't matter if you have the fastest runners in the nation on a relay team, if they don't get along nothing good will come of it. When the four of us guys were informed that were on the DMR we became closer than ever. We would pair up during work outs and make sure that we were hitting our paces. Oh, and morning runs too. Those are hard to get out and do by yourself when you got class at 8 a.m. four days a week.What is the biggest difference competing on the collegiate level compared to high school?When I ran in high school I took it very seriously, but here at SOU it's a whole other level. Sometimes I feel like a monk.What are your future goals with the SOU track and field team?I plan on taking it one season at a time, qualify for conference then nationals and go from thereWhat are your plans once you graduate from SOU?After I graduate from SOU I plan to travel the world.How did running at Yreka High prepare you for running in college?Coach Pam Borg showed me that just because you are from a small town doesn't mean you can't do big things with your life.